To the Editor:
All the fuss about Donald Trump’s violence laced rhetoric towards protesters seems misplaced. Violence towards dissenters and protesters is a long and time honored tradition in America. Women suffragettes were attacked, labor organizers and strikers were attacked, civil rights protesters were beaten and murdered, the Chicago police brutalized protesters at the Democratic convention, NYC police harassed and beat Occupy Wall St. protesters.
We have a long history of violence directed at protesters. Even former Presidential candidate John McCain seemed delighted when tiny Medea Benjamin was dragged from his hearing when she protested the appearance of Henry Kissinger (considered by many to be a war criminal).
So Trump’s advocacy for violent removal of demonstrators is right in keeping with a long standing tradition of American hostility and brutality towards those who engage in protest.
I suspect that the media is in such a frenzy of sanctimonious criticism of Trump not because of the violence he is advocating, but because he represents a threat to establishment interests. This establishment includes corporate media, casino capitalists, and the financial backers of both parties. Yes, Trump is scary! But not only to individual citizens, he is very scary to all those who make obscene profits by manipulating the system through lobbyists, money, preferential laws, and trade agreements. Were Trump to really end the true “waste, fraud, and abuse” and rampant corporate welfare he would do so at his own peril. Despite disagreeing with much of what Trump represents I do have concerns for his safety.
Eli Kassirer
All the fuss about Donald Trump’s violence laced rhetoric towards protesters seems misplaced. Violence towards dissenters and protesters is a long and time honored tradition in America. Women suffragettes were attacked, labor organizers and strikers were attacked, civil rights protesters were beaten and murdered, the Chicago police brutalized protesters at the Democratic convention, NYC police harassed and beat Occupy Wall St. protesters.
We have a long history of violence directed at protesters. Even former Presidential candidate John McCain seemed delighted when tiny Medea Benjamin was dragged from his hearing when she protested the appearance of Henry Kissinger (considered by many to be a war criminal).
So Trump’s advocacy for violent removal of demonstrators is right in keeping with a long standing tradition of American hostility and brutality towards those who engage in protest.
I suspect that the media is in such a frenzy of sanctimonious criticism of Trump not because of the violence he is advocating, but because he represents a threat to establishment interests. This establishment includes corporate media, casino capitalists, and the financial backers of both parties. Yes, Trump is scary! But not only to individual citizens, he is very scary to all those who make obscene profits by manipulating the system through lobbyists, money, preferential laws, and trade agreements. Were Trump to really end the true “waste, fraud, and abuse” and rampant corporate welfare he would do so at his own peril. Despite disagreeing with much of what Trump represents I do have concerns for his safety.
Eli Kassirer